My 2025 wrapped
A list of my top stories from 2025 and a request for book recommendations. Also, I got married this year!
Welcome to my free newsletter. I’m a reporter at POLITICO where I cover the politics and policy of food and agriculture.
I know it’s belated, but I didn’t want to let 2026 get too far ahead of me without addressing what has been the busiest year of my career so far. I wrote 200+ stories in 2025 and I can only expect something similar in 2026.
In 2025, I covered the firing (and sometimes re-hiring) of thousands of federal employees almost overnight, significant cuts to federal food aid, the rise of the Make America Healthy Again movement, a fluctuating tariff regime and a record-setting government shutdown.
I am incredibly grateful to all the people who trusted me and POLITICO to write and publish these stories. I am also thankful for fabulous colleagues across the newsroom who have helped bring so many of these stories to light. And as always, I welcome feedback, tips and story ideas.
On to 2026!
My top 2025 stories:
Trump administration firings hit key office handling bird flu response - Feb. 16, 2025
Trump administration struggles to rehire fired bird flu employees - Feb. 27, 2025
USDA cancels $1B in local food purchasing for schools, food banks - March 10, 2025
USDA halts millions of dollars worth of deliveries to food banks - March 19, 2025
‘We just haven’t seen anything like this’: Farmers brace for Trump’s trade war - April 4, 2025
USDA’s $1B bird flu plan uses money intended for schools, food banks - April 12, 2025 (w/ Grace Yarrow)
RFK Jr. isn’t staying in his lane. Trump is thrilled. - April 26, 2025 (w/ Adam Cancryn)
More than 15,000 USDA employees take Trump’s offer to resign - May 3, 2025 (New data indicate roughly 20,000 people have left USDA since last January)
Trump officials delayed farm trade report over deficit forecast - June 4, 2025
Michelle Obama Was Vilified by the Right. Then Came MAHA. - June 14, 2025
Millions more Americans could turn to food banks soon. Food banks are simply not ready. - July 6, 2026 (Published shortly after Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill Act became law)
Publicly, this industry has been mostly quiet about MAHA. Privately, they’re panicking. - September 13, 2025
USDA tells lawmakers WIC will be funded through October - October 10, 2025 (Published during the record-setting government shutdown and later cited by a federal judge)
Food stamps are back, but millions will soon lose benefits permanently - November 15, 2025
RFK Jr. wants states to ban junk food. No one knows what counts. - December 20, 2025
Food-related books I read this year:
Wild Chocolate by Rowan Jacobsen. A illuminating read about the origins of coco and why humans are crazy about it.
We Are Eating the Earth by Michael Grunwald. A science-y read about the problems with how we measure agriculture’s impact on the climate. Spoiler: We often leave out the value of land.
Life and Death of the American Worker by Alice Driver. A compelling read about Tyson poultry processing plant workers in Arkansas and the impact of the pandemic.
The Last Supper by Sam Kass. An urgent call for rethinking how we farm and eat in order to save the climate, with a special focus on the possibilities of food tech.
What’s on your reading list? Please send my way whether it’s food-related or not!
Personal news
Some of you also may not know I got married this year. Shiva and I celebrated our wedding in October with friends and family from 19 states, the District of Columbia and two countries!
Currently cooking
I just made a lucky New Year’s Day meal: black eyed peas and stewed tomatoes, served with cheesy grits and a pork loin roast. I followed this NYT recipe for the pork!
And last weekend I made Heidi Swanson’s Christmas lima stew (from the Rancho Gordo cookbook). Crusty bread required, of course.
Currently reading
I just finished The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley and I’m in the middle of Circe by Madeline Miller.
Have feedback? Ideas? Tips? Reading recs?
Email me at marciabrown@politico.com or get in touch securely on Signal at marciagbrown.68. You can also find me on X, formerly Twitter,and Bluesky. Do you think I should join another social media platform? Tell me!
You did have a year!!!!! Glad you got your black eyed peas for a good new year. I just read this past Sunday, Isola. Great story!!!!!